The July 4th weekend is over, and I am still reflecting on where women are in the political and cultural landscape of America. Firecrackers and picnics aside, Abigail Adams didn't get to sign the Declaration of Independence, Betsy Ross sewed the flag, and how many people even know who Deborah Samson Gannett was?
In late June, I attended a panel discussion hosted by the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy. The topic was "the status of women in society, and the policies needed to close the gender gap." DMI defines itself as "a progressive policy institute dedicated to challenging the tired orthodoxies of both the right and the left." 
Five women joined Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney to examine issues she has written about in her new book,Rumors of Our Progress Have Been Greatly Exaggerated: Why Women's Lives Aren't Getting Any Easier - and How We Can Make Real Progress for Ourselves and Our Daughters.
A press release asked, "Women's equality...why not now?" It gave statistics showing that in 2007, women were paid 77 cents for every dollar that men were paid. I was ready to hear about if women's status with men in American society is equivalent, or just a myth.
Speaker of the New York City Council,
Christine Quinn, delivered an opening statement crediting Maloney with shifting the power paradigm. Maloney got right into it by asking, "What would Congress look like if it were only 16% men?" Pointing out, "We live in a country where we still can't pass the Equal Rights Amendment," she highlighted that during eight years of George Bush there had been a "constant eroding of women's rights."
Moderator Andrea Batista, Executive Director of DMI, introduced former Congresswoman
Pat Schroeder. With Hillary Clinton's run for the presidency still fresh in the collective consciousness, there was a particular irony in having present the woman who had thrown her hat into the ring for the oval office in 1988.
Although Schroeder had ranked third in a Time magazine poll, for numerous reasons -- including lack of funds -- she ultimately withdrew. A Harvard Law School graduate who remained undefeated for 24 years, Schroeder described how in 1984 there were parts of the country where women were not elected to anything. "I was like this great traveling novelty act," she related. "How can you be a Congresswoman and a mother?" people would inquire. Her standard line was, "I have a brain and a uterus, and they both work." She was the first woman to serve on the House Armed Services Committee. Schroeder told the story about how Ron Dellums, the first African America member, was appointed at around the same time she was. The chairman said, "That girl and that black are each worth about half. I'll give them one chair." Schroeder touched on the primary race and how "with Hillary it became a kill-the-witch thing." She emphasized that people had to come forward to fight sexism and lamented, "We have not moved that far."
Diana Salas, Associate Director of the Women of Color Policy Network, pointed to the fact that "women of color experience racism and sexism differently," and referenced her work to end the invisibility of women of color. "My issue is immigration," she said. "We need to hold candidates accountable, beyond the sound bites." She acknowledged the "huge gap between women of color and white women." Suggesting the need for a human rights commission, Salas said, "We can't just be meeting in silos. A group of older white men should not be making decisions for all of us."
Executive Vice-President of the National Organization for Women, Olga Vives, said, "We will not be equal without economic parity." She spoke about Wal-Mart, the largest employer in the United States. "Why does Wal-Mart have lower prices?" she asked. (Paying women less than men is a good place to start.) "Our activism has not kept up to speed." With a strong delivery, Vives stated, "We don't want a McCain presidency. We need to sit down with Obama, and gain a place at his table."
"Women have to push harder," said Lisa Witter, COO of Fenton Communications. "I would love for Obama to give a seminal speech on women."
A co-founder of SheSource and the co-author of
The She Spot: Why Women are the Market for Changing the World and How to Reach Them, she took a pro-active stance. "We have the opportunity to make ourselves more visible." Underscoring the possibility for women to drive change, she articulated the concept of "the next frontier for women."
Schlesinger directed the group's attention to parsing if "focusing on choice" has been limiting. Vives identified that "abortion is neither safe nor equal for a lot of women." Salas advocated reframing the issue by constructing a dialogue on it "through a reproductive justice network." The topic of the 17 girls in Gloucester, Massachusetts -- who allegedly made a "pregnancy pact" -- came up. "What is that about?" asked Schroeder. "What has happened in the culture? I am totally perplexed."
Maloney stood firm in her belief that economic support for women was tantamount. "The strongest indicator for being poor in old age is being a Mom" (known as the Mom Bomb). Witter said, "Society doesn't support mothers." Maloney wondered why in a nation where "family values" are touted, the United States ranked 168th in the world on paid family leave. In terms of representation, she insisted, "We need to have more women in the pipeline. Women's issues are swept under the rug. Where is the discussion? We have great power, but we're not using it. Let's get some of these issues passed into law!"
Maloney was at the Hillary Clinton rally in New Hampshire when a man held up a sign that said, "Iron my shirt." Going forward, women - who make up more than half of the electorate - would do well to heed Maloney's advice on self-empowerment. "If we don't stand up and do it ourselves, it's not going to happen."
Photos Courtesy of Lindsey Beyerstein
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That means:
No one should have lesser options due to their gender (or color, or orientation, or beliefs, or whatever). No one should be considered of lesser value than others due to any kind of group identity.
No one should let gender stereotypes (or other stereotypes) limit themselves, not in the way they see themselves, not in the way they're seen by others.
Being a feminist isn't and shouldn't mean denying yourself your femininity. Femininity is part of your individuality. And enjoying people being polite (like holding open doors and paying attention to you, whether on dates or otherwise) should not have to be limited to men you date.
I hope I have made it easier for you to make up your mind about "what to think" about this article. I don't think it should ever be difficult to decide if one wants equal rights for all.
"Femininity" the way many women are practicing in the USA is a marketing creation.
Yeah white women having babies?
Who would have thunk it?
I didn't think white women had babies anymore?
50% and not one less of every single position: artist. How about symphony conductors? Every time women get over the most recent hurdle, the men come up with new ones. If the women who are in public positions, like Hillary Clinton, would take a public stand demanding 50% women not once but every day of their lives, then we could get this going. But the silence and collaboration of women in power makes the whole issue invisible.
Thomas Jefferson wrote "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal". 232 years and two days later, some of us are reminded he forgot to include women & non-whites into his thinking.
Still, heterosexual white men are the only ones truely "allowed" not to define themselves from their sexual orientation, hue or gender. They are allowed to define themselves from their personalities, positions, life-experiences. The rest of us are put into boxes. Whatever life-experience or position or personality we have, are put into those boxes as well. You can have a look on whatever tread you like, even here, on Huffpost, where most posters are supposedly liberal. And you'd find bigotry, misogony or gay bashing in each and every one. I'm sure.
I won't "victimize" myself. I am hetero, white and a woman. But this isn't how I define myself. I define myself from how I'm thinking. Or feeling. Or experiecing. From my job, my education, my everyday life. And I think we should all be allowed to. Then it will become self-evident that though we're all created different, we're all of equal value. And then Thomas Jefferson could really, truely, thorughly, be proud of us all.
This matched the transition from the 60's, hippies and freedom, to... well what we have now.
Since so many women are going back to tradition male female roles and social interactions, they will probably lose more power. "The Rules" are a text book on how to be a nice quiet receptive pretty flower. Men in Penguin suits while women hold a beauty pageant, same problem. But women seem happy being models and targets of acquisition, so it's their choice.